TRUSTEE RESIGNS DAY AFTER TAKING OATH

A scientist and district parent was sworn in Monday night as the newest member of the San Marcos school board after a unanimous appointment vote by trustees.

However, Tuesday morning, Jose Gutierrez notified board members that he would be unable to serve on the board for personal reasons. Trustees have asked him to reconsider for 24 hours.

Gutierrez would not comment further to a reporter on Tuesday.

He was appointed to fill the seat left vacant when longtime trustee Sharon Jenkins was elected to the City Council. The district received eight applications for the vacancy.

At the meeting Monday night, with more than 100 people in attendance, each applicant was given time to address the school board, said Randy Walton, board president.

“Everybody … was so impressive,” Walton said, adding that the applicant pool included “a lot of new faces, people committed to the community.”

After the presentations, board members discussed the applicants and qualities they sought in a trustee. Walton said the board discussion also included a conversation about the board reflecting the face of the community. The district is 46.2 percent Latino.

After the discussion, “It was pretty clear there was consensus for Jose (Gutierrez),” Walton said.

“His oral presentation was just excellent,” Walton said, adding that Gutierrez was exuberant, funny, self-deprecating and serious. “Jose has a personal story that’s not unlike kids in our district. … He didn’t learn English until third grade.”

According to his application, Gutierrez is director of Systems Development for Abbott Laboratories. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal physiology and neuroscience at UC San Diego. He has a master’s in biotechnology from Cal State San Marcos. Gutierrez is the father of two children in San Marcos public schools.

Walton praised the quality of the applicants, and the appointment process. “We all truly went into this with an open mind.”

The district last used the appointment process to fill a vacancy in March 2011. Accountant Janet McClean was selected to replace David Horacek, who resigned because he was moving out of the area. McClean was elected to her first full, four-year term last month.

The district serves about 19,500 students at 18 schools. The district covers the city of San Marcos, and portions of Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido and unincorporated San Diego County.